Highlights from the June 2020 Council meeting
We’re pleased to share with you highlights from the June 19, 2020 Council meeting.
Royal College Council has met regularly since the declaration of the pandemic, weekly through March and April, and every two weeks in May. Council guidance has enabled and supported management’s engagement with COVID-19; steering Royal College’s efforts in the key areas of supporting Fellows, residency education and assessment as well as the Special Meeting of the Members held on May 28, 2020.
In addition to the COVID-19 specific meetings, Council met virtually for its regular spring meeting on June 19, 2020. The meeting was compressed from the usual 1.5 days to four hours. Council welcomed an update from the president, Ian Bowmer on how Canadian medical organizations are collaboratively responding to the challenges of the pandemic. He also shared the common themes emerging from the recent Regional Advisory Committees (RACs) he attended. The RACs explored the need to ensure thoughtful and inclusive implementation of virtual care, and support resident education in the face of virtual care and COVID-19.
Susan Moffatt-Bruce, Royal College chief executive officer, provided Council with a precis of the analytics management is deploying to measure organizational success over the next year. Dr. Moffatt-Bruce outlined for Council how staff have worked tirelessly throughout the crisis to continuously meet the needs of residents and Fellows to ensure the very highest quality of care for all Canadians.
Council focused on items of importance relating to fiduciary duty and duty of care. They discussed the risks and mitigations associated with expanded written and computer-based delivery of the certification examinations in 2020 and 2021, and through a formal motion supported management’s plans. Council also discussed the latest financial forecast and management’s plans for mitigating COVID-19 related fiscal challenges. Decisions made included not increasing exam and assessment fees for 2021/22, approving an updated corporate travel policy, and approving a new framework to codify Royal College and Royal College Canada International (RCI) revenue sharing.
Barring any need to meet sooner, Council’s regular fall meeting is scheduled for October 2020. All Council and committee meetings will be virtual until at least December 31, 2020.
